TAMPA -- When it comes to the MLB Draft, words like “upside” and “projection” are typically reserved for evaluating high school players. Even with years of development still in store, college players are often seen as something closer to a finished product.
On Day 1 of the Draft, the Rays selected four high school position players with high ceilings and plenty of growth ahead of them. But their lone college pick last Sunday night isn’t lacking in untapped potential, either.
The Rays signed Arizona outfielder Brendan Summerhill on Saturday afternoon, a day after officially inking first-round shortstop Daniel Pierce. He received a $1,997,500 signing bonus, according to MLB.com’s Jim Callis, below the assigned slot value of $2,331,000.
After stopping by George M. Steinbrenner Field before the Rays’ game against the Orioles, Summerhill -- the No. 42 overall pick in the Draft -- will begin his professional career on Sunday with a trip to their Spring Training complex in Port Charlotte, Fla.
“It's exciting,” Summerhill said. “Definitely thrilled, for sure.”
The night of the Draft, amateur scouting director Chuck Ricci described Summerhill as “very projectable” and an athlete who is “just starting to kind of find his stride" as a player. Summerhill believes the same to be true.
“Hopefully just scratching the surface of what the final product will look like,” Summerhill said.
A left-handed-hitting, right-handed-throwing outfielder who will play all three spots in pro ball, including center, Summerhill has a ton of tools. The 6-foot-3, 200-pounder is strong and athletic, with a mature approach and a good arm. He hit .343/.459/.556 with 12 more walks than strikeouts during his junior season at Arizona.
“I think he's cut down his strikeout rate every year,” Ricci said Saturday. “Asking player development [staff] to get guys to touch the baseball more is a challenge. I think it's almost unfair on them. So I think if you have that attribute in your game, it's much easier to build out your offensive profile off of that.”
MLB Pipeline ranked the 21-year-old Chicago native as the Draft’s 16th-best prospect, and Pipeline experts said Summerhill could be the steal of Competitive Balance Round A after falling to the 42nd pick. The Rays hope that’s true, too.
“I think he's a college player that is still developing in all aspects. He does a lot of things well,” Ricci said. “Whether that's physically or his game, I think everything's heading in the right direction. I'm really excited to see where he is two years from now.”
Summerhill has an easily accessible mentor, if he needs advice. His older brother, Colin, is a first base prospect currently playing for the Angels’ Single-A affiliate. Colin is 23, two years older, so he was also a constant source of motivation when they were growing up.
“As long as I can remember, it's always been competing. So I think that's kind of where I get my competitive nature from, and he kind of instilled it in me,” Summerhill said. “I'm younger, so the little brother never wins. So me and him have a really special relationship.”
The two have played on the same team before, but never against each other. The idea of doing so in professional ball, especially in the Major Leagues, holds a certain appeal to Summerhill.
“I think that that would be awesome,” he said, smiling. “Finally don't get to treat him like my older brother and treat him like the enemy, so that would be great.”